FORTH ROAD Bridge chiefs have played down suggestions they might have to knock down their new £5 million toll plaza after it emerged it was being built in the wrong place.

The gaffe was discovered when locals complained to Edinburgh City Council planning department about the scale of the project.

When planning officers reviewed the scheme they spotted the new tollbooths had been built 15 metres (nearly 50ft) from where they should have been.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority has now been forced to submit a retrospective planning application to clear the project.

According to the original blueprint the booths were to be built where the old ones are. However, FETA decided to keep the original booths in place while the new plaza was being built so it could keep collecting tolls.

It also said there were technical problems with building on the same spot.

Residents in Stoneyflatts estate in South Queensferry say the new plaza has ruined their view and have lodged complaints with the council. One said it looked as if a football stadium had been built on her doorstep.

The original plans passed two years ago show the booths in exactly the same position as the old ones, with the angled canopy overhead. The new booths, meant to protect attendants from fumes, are due to come into use shortly. But if FETA’s application is refused, officials could order them to be torn down.

A council spokeswoman said, “We have received several complaints about the position of the new toll booth canopy. Consent for it was granted in 2004, but it appears it has been built about 15 metres south of the approved position. We have asked FETA to submit a retrospective planning application to determine if this accords with the provisions of the local plan, council policies and guidelines.”

A FETA spokesman admitted the booths were in the wrong place but insisted the original plans had been “conceptual drawings.”